April 22, 2011 -- The Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed
a resolution Wednesday in support of federal legislation to close flight
schools at Santa Monica Airport (SMO) and redirect air traffic so it will
not pass over Venice and the Penmar Golf Course.

The resolution – introduced by Council members Bill Rosendahl,
Janice Hahn and Paul Koretz, at least two of whom have gone on record
in support of closing SMO – is meant to enhance safety and reduce
pollution in their districts.

But Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials, to say nothing of
some Santa Monica residents, take exception to the resolution's arguments.

According to Los Angeles' Chief Legislative Analyst Gerry F. Miller,
altering the flight path of aircraft would “enhance safety.”
His summary linked to the resolution states that the flight paths of jets
taking off from SMO and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) intersect
offshore.

“We have standard procedures in place to keep Santa Monica jet
departures and LAX departures safely separated from one another,”
Gregor said. “The close proximity of the two airports is by no means
a safety issue.”

Gregor added that air traffic controllers are in constant contact with
the jets which are being tracked by radar.

Should the flight path be changed, some in Santa Monica feel the danger
would just be diverted to their neighborhoods.

Last year, a route was tested that passed over the Sunset Park and Ocean
Park neighborhoods.

It was resoundingly opposed by residents, and “the (city) council
took a very strong position opposing the proposed flight departure rules,”
Assistant to the City Manager Kate Vernez told the Lookout Thursday.

“The City is working with the FAA and aviation experts [including
RAND Corporation] to provide alternatives while maintaining neighborhood
and aircraft safety.”

The route over Santa Monica would pass over 17,000 households and 22
schools, including preschools, Zina Josephs, President of Friends of Sunset
Park, told the Lookout Thursday. Friends of Sunset Park is known for its
tough stands on airport safety, noise and pollution.

The topography of the runway and environs militates against rerouting
planes over Sunset Park, Josephs said.

The end of the runway is 118 feet above sea level, while the Sunset Park
plateau is 174 feet above sea level and the hilly section of Ocean Park
is 135 feet above sea level, she said.

It would make more sense for airplanes to gain altitude over the golf
course, which is 46 feet above sea level, Josephs said.

Ultimately, it's up to the FAA to decide where the routes go, Gregor
said. Vernez and SMO officials agreed that the FAA has jurisdiction in
the matter, although Vernez was emphatic that no decisions on flight paths
or environmental issues will be made without a full measure of public
input.

Miller's summary in support of Wednesday's L.A. City Council resolution
also cited safety reasons for closing flight schools at SMO, a claim the
FAA took issue with.

But, according to Gregor, “Nobody has offered one bit of evidence
suggesting that Santa Monica flight school operations are anything but
safe.”

“While certain people have tried to link a July 2010 accident to
flight school operations, the fact is the pilot in that crash was an experienced
commercial pilot and not a student,” Gregor added.

The better part of Miller's summary deals with particulates generated by
idling jets.

According to the summary, because SMO and LAX jets share airspace, SMO
jets often have to wait for takeoff, befouling the air as they do so.

“While idling on the runways, these jets spew high concentrations
of air emissions into neighboring West Los Angeles communities such as
Mar Vista and Palms,” Miller wrote.

Again, Gregor disagrees.

“Jet operators call the control tower for permission to start their
engines,” Gregor said. “We give that permission just a few
minutes before the aircraft is scheduled to depart.

“This way, they don't sit with their engines running for long periods
of time before they are able to take off,” he said.

Gregor added that the jets are positioned in such a way that their exhaust
isn't aimed at residential neighborhoods until they're within a minute
of take-off.

It's no secret that Rosendahl wants to see SMO closed when the city's
contract with the FAA expires in 2015.

A year ago at a rally protesting noise and pollution, Rosendahl, who
was joined by Koretz, said the airport should be closed altogether, a
sentiment recently echoed by Hahn.

“Ninety years ago the leaders at the time built this airport,
we were bean fields and orange groves,” Rosendahl said. “We
are no longer that. We are the most dense urban seaside community in the
United States of America and it’s time that the airport shut down.”

Recently, another local elected official, U.S. Representative Henry
Waxman, added an amendment to an FAA reauthorization bill that calls for
the FAA and the City of Santa Monica to to conduct “good faith”
negotiations to address safety issues.